Site Quality Assurance Engineer

Waikato Waters Ltd; Waikato; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Waikato Waters Ltd is seeking a Site Quality Assurance Engineer to inspect the construction of new water and wastewater network assets on-site, ensuring work aligns with approved plans, technical requirements and quality standards for a successful handover.

This field‑based role involves collaboration with contractors, developers and Waikato Waters teams, requiring practical knowledge of asset construction and the ability to identify defects and risks on site.

Qualifications

• Strong practical knowledge of water and wastewater network construction, maintenance and operational practices.
• Experience inspecting, constructing, maintaining or working directly with water and wastewater network assets.
• Ability to recognise good construction practice and confidently identify defects, risks and work that doesn’t meet requirements.
• Strong people skills and the confidence to have practical, constructive conversations with contractors, developers and operational teams.
• Good judgement and problem-solving skills in relation to site conditions and network constraints.
• Clear written communication and the ability to maintain accurate inspection and compliance records.
• Ability to work independently in the field while building positive working relationships across teams.
• Commitment to health, safety, quality and protecting the environment.
• Full New Zealand Driver Licence, essential.

Responsibilities

• Carry out field inspections of new water and wastewater network assets during construction, checking work against approved plans and technical requirements.
• Identify and clearly communicate defects, risks, non-conforming work and practical construction issues with contractors, developers and Waikato Waters teams.
• Inspect existing network assets and site conditions to understand connection requirements, constraints and potential impacts on proposed developments.
• Take part in pre-handover inspections and walkovers, helping ensure new assets are constructed to the required standard before they are accepted.
• Keep clear, accurate and timely records of inspections, findings and follow-up actions.
• Support development engineers with the assessment of developer plans, bringing a practical construction and site perspective to the approval process.
• Help engineers understand site and network constraints that may affect Waikato Waters’ ability to support proposed development and growth.
• Work closely with contractors, developers and operations colleagues to resolve issues and support quality outcomes.
• Put safety first and follow health, safety and environmental requirements while working on site.

Skills

Water/wastewater construction

On-site inspections

Defect identification

Communication with contractors

Site records management

Practical problem solving

Health and safety focus

Driver Licence NZ

Collaboration with teams

Job description

Ensure new water and wastewater assets meet quality standards through site inspections, audits and collaboration with developers and operations teams.

05th November, 2026

Te tūranga | The role

Put your practical water and wastewater construction experience to work as a Site Quality Assurance Engineer. This is primarily a field-based role, inspecting the construction of new network assets and making sure work meets approved plans, technical requirements and the quality standards needed for a successful handover.

You’ll spend much of your time on site, working directly with contractors, developers and Waikato Waters operations teams. You’ll need a strong practical understanding of how water and wastewater infrastructure is constructed, a good eye for quality, and the confidence to have clear and constructive conversations when something isn’t right.

Reporting to the Design and Consenting Manager, you’ll also support our office-based development engineers by helping assess developer plans and providing practical site insights. Your knowledge of existing network conditions and site constraints will help inform decisions around new connections and enable future development and growth across the Waikato.

Ō mahi | What you’ll do

• Carry out field inspections of new water and wastewater network assets during construction, checking work against approved plans and technical requirements.
• Identify and clearly communicate defects, risks, non-conforming work and practical construction issues with contractors, developers and Waikato Waters teams.
• Inspect existing network assets and site conditions to understand connection requirements, constraints and potential impacts on proposed developments.
• Take part in pre-handover inspections and walkovers, helping ensure new assets are constructed to the required standard before they are accepted.
• Keep clear, accurate and timely records of inspections, findings and follow-up actions.
• Support development engineers with the assessment of developer plans, bringing a practical construction and site perspective to the approval process.
• Help engineers understand site and network constraints that may affect Waikato Waters’ ability to support proposed development and growth.
• Work closely with contractors, developers and operations colleagues to resolve issues and support quality outcomes.
• Put safety first and follow health, safety and environmental requirements while working on site.

Ō pūkenga | What you’ll bring

• Strong practical knowledge of water and wastewater network construction, maintenance and operational practices.
• Experience inspecting, constructing, maintaining or working directly with water and wastewater network assets.
• The ability to recognise good construction practice and confidently identify defects, risks and work that doesn’t meet requirements.
• Strong people skills and the confidence to have practical, constructive conversations with contractors, developers and operational teams, including when issues need to be addressed.
• Good judgement and problem-solving skills, with the ability to understand how site conditions and existing network constraints may affect new development.
• Clear written communication and the ability to maintain accurate inspection and compliance records.
• The ability to work independently in the field while building positive working relationships across different teams and organisations.
• A strong commitment to health, safety, quality and protecting the environment.
• A full New Zealand Driver Licence, essential.

A relevant industry qualification or trade certification would be an advantage, as would Traffic Management, Confined Space or First Aid certification. For us, practical water and wastewater construction knowledge and the ability to work effectively with people on site will be particularly important.

He aha ai mātou | Why join us

Since beginning operations in July 2026, we’ve been building how we work together. You’ll bring your ideas and experience to a team where you can help shape what comes next. He waka eke noa, we are all in this together.

You’ll put your practical skills to work on infrastructure that supports our communities, working alongside development engineering and operations colleagues to help get quality right from the start. To learn more about us, visit www.waikatowaters.co.nz